Ownership of the “Purple People Bridge” is closer to being transferred to a not-for-profit organization. The Newport city council recently voted to accept ownership of the bridge from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and to transfer ownership of the bridge to the not-for-profit Newport Southbank Bridge Company.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet expected to open the state’s first roadway constructed on a foam base ahead of schedule. A one-mile section of KY 8 along the bank of the Ohio River in Campbell County is being reconstructed in attempt to prevent problems with cracking and slipping of the road.

A not-for-profit organization has raised and spent thousands of dollars to beautify the former L&N Bridge over the Ohio River at Newport; however, plans to transfer ownership of the bridge to Southbank Partners have been delayed. Part of the bridge—the former railroad tracks—is still owned by L&N’s successor corporation CSX Transportation. The road portion of the bridge has been converted to a pedestrian walkway and is owned by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Questions over who will pay for the upkeep of parts of the structure have lead to the delay in transferring the state owned portion of the bridge.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet posts regularly updated traffic advisories to www.511.ky.gov. You can also obtain Kentucky traffic information by calling 1-800-RDREPORT or by dialing 511 from any cell phone.

The 60-day regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly ended on April 13. Thirteen bills relating to transportation were passed into law during the 2004 regular session. Click “read full text” below for summaries of each bill.

The L&N Bridge over the Ohio River will receive beautification improvements on the Ohio side to match the improvements on the Kentucky side. The bridge—which carried both vehicle and rail traffic when it opened in 1872—was closed to traffic in 2001. Trains last used the bridge in 1984. Today, the bridge has been painted purple and is open to pedestrian traffic; due to this it is now locally known as the “Purple People Bridge.”

One of the most highly visible road projects in Northern Kentucky this summer will be the repainting of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge over the Ohio River on I-471. The under structure of the bridge was repainted last summer; this summer the bridge's arches will be repainted.

A section of Tenth Street in Newport between Vine Street and Monroe Avenue is scheduled to be closed beginning during the third week of March. The street is expected to be closed for six months while crews work to replace an overpass over a railroad.

The Taylor-Southgate Bridge over the Ohio River at Covington was closed this morning after barge hit one of the bridge’s piers. There was no obvious damage to the barge nor to the bridge; however, the bridge must remain closed until inspectors can survey the bridge. There is no word on how long this process will take.

The 2004 federal omnibus spending bill which was approved by the senate last week includes $2 million to continue funding for a study on how to replace the aging I-71/I-75 Brent Spence Bridge across the Ohio River and $1.5 million for a connector route between the AA Highway and I-275.

Speed limits on I-471 have been raised from 55 MPH to 65 MPH. The move makes the highway.s speed limit consistent with the speed limit on I-275. This consistency is believed to make the road safer for travelers.

Two studies are planned to determine routes for improved highways in Campbell County. A design study will begin this year to determine plans to widen KY 9 from Wilder into Newport. Another study has been funded to determine a route for a connector route between I-275 and the AA Highway. This new route would improve highway access to Northern Kentucky University.

The Shortway Bridge was demolished with explosives on the morning of Monday August 25. The new Licking River Girl Scout Bridge was closed during the implosion, and the Licking River was closed to river traffic for 24 hours so pieces of the bridge could be removed from the river. Steel from the bridge was collected for recycling.

The bridge, which connected 11th Street in Newport with 12th Street in Covington, opened in 1914 and was originally a toll road. The state purchased the bridge in 1986. It has been closed since 2001 when it was replaced by the Licking River Girl Scout Bridge.

Development of the Newport Levee has caused a considerable increase in traffic (and traffic accidents) on I-471's Daniel Carter Beard Bridge over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Newport. Newport city leaders are pressing to rebuild the ramps from I-471 south bound to KY 8; however, the project is not currently listed on the six year highway plan.

At 8 a.m. on Sunday, August 24, an implosion will remove the old Shortway Bridge over the Licking River between Convington and Newport. The bridge has been replaced by the new Licking Valley Girl Scouts Bridge.

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad bridge over the Ohio River has been opened to pedestrian traffic. The bridge has recently been painted purple and has been dubbed the "Purple People Bridge" by local residents. Though it is closed to vehicle traffic, the Kentucky-owned bridge is officially designated as US 27C.

On Wednesday, state officials re-dedicated the AA Highway in honor of former Governor John Y. Brown, Jr. Brown was governor from 1979 to 1983 and was influential in the construction of the highway across northern Kentucky.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has released the final report for the conceptual feasibility study for the Northern Kentucky Outer Loop, and the finding is that such an outer loop is not feasible.

The proposed route would connect with I-74 in Indiana, pass into Kentucky at the Markland Dam in Gallatin County, travel east-west across Kentucky, cross the Ohio River into Ohio at the William H. Harsha bridge near Maysville, and connect with a proposed extension of I-74 in Ohio. A two-year long study of this route found that the entire route would not be financially feasible in Kentucky; however, the study found that several segments of the route would have an independent of utility. The study divided the route into six sections and assigned them the following priorities:

US 127 to I-75 - 15.1 miles (Owen and Grant Counties)

I-71 to US 127 - 6.8 miles (Gallatin/Carroll and Owen Counties)

I-75 to US 27 - 17.6 miles (Grant and Pendleton Counties)

US 27 to KY 9 - 29 miles (Pendleton, Bracken, and Mason Counties)

Indiana to I-71 - 7 miles (Carroll/Gallatin Counties)

KY 9 to Ohio - 2.9 miles (Mason County)

The study found that construction of a proposed highway (Indiana State Road 101) from I-74 in Indiana to the Markland Dam would improve the usability of the Indiana to I-71 segment of the Outer Loop.

The release of the report does not guarantee that anything will be built. Construction is dependent on future funding.

The Judge Executives of Boone, Kenton, and Campbell County expressed support for casino gambling during the 14th Annual State of Northern Kentucky Addresses yesterday. The Judge Executives also expressed some support for increasing the state's gas tax. The leaders are concerned about the dwindling tax revenue being collected by Frankfort and are afraid that services will be cut if new revenue is not found. A proposed expansion of KY 237 in Hebron is named as an example of a project that is in jeopardy if new funding cannot be found.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will open bid proposals to remove the old Shortway Bridge over the Licking River between Covington and Newport on Sept. 27. It will be up to the contractor to decide how to remove the bridge: removing it piece by piece or with explosives are among the options.

The bridge was replaced by the Licking Valley Girl Scout Bridge and has been closed since the new bridge opened.

Before demolishing a bridge, the KYTC offers it to groups wishing to preserve it; however, no groups came forward to preserve this bridge. Covington and Newport both have requested parts of the bridge to use in other projects.

The Shortway Bridge had been a toll bridge in the past. Tolls were last collected in 1986.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the new Licking River bridge won't be renamed. Northern Kentucky lawmakers had been seeking to rename the new bridge in honor Alvin C. Poweleit, a local doctor and World War II hero. The KYTC recently named the bridge in honor of local Girl Scouts.

The new Licking River Bridge between Covington and Newport has only recently been named in honor of local Girl Scouts; however, a group of Northern Kentucky politicians are seeking to have the bridge renamed in honor of the late Dr. Alvin C. Poweleit, a family physician from Newport and World War II hero. More details can be found in this Cincinnati Enquirer article.

The new bridge over the Licking River between Covington and Newport locally known as the "Short Way" bridge has been named in honor of the local Girl Scout council. More information can be found in this press release.

According to this Cincinnati Enquirer article, I-471 in Newport will be receiving its first billboards. The city agreed to allow the billboards after requesting billboards to be removed from other areas.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports in this article that an old railroad bridge over the Ohio River near Newport which was converted to vehicle traffic has been closed and will be reopened as a pedestrian bridge.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports in this Sept. 28, 2001 article that a new four lane bridge carrying KY 1120 over the Licking River between Covington and Newport could open this weekend. The bridge replaces an aging two lane span. The bridge will be dedicated and named in October.

According to thus Sept. 21, 2001 article in the Cincinnati Enquirer, the KYTC wants to meet with drivers on the AA Highway between Campbell and Mason Counties. The KYTC will setup shop in two gas stations along the route to interview drivers about the safety of the highway. This is part of a study to determine whether the road should be widened.

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